Dolph gunthee



F. A. R. GNTHER. STRINGING PLANOS.

Patented Sept. 2,9, 1885.

y25 A and B constitute the lower bass.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

FREDERIC ANTON RUDOLPH GNTHER, OE TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

STRINGING PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,439, datedSeptember 29,1885.

Application filed April 2, 1885. (No model.)

T all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that l, FREDERIC; ANTON RU- DOLPH GNTHER, of the city ofToronto, in the county of York, in the Province ot' Ontario, Canada,musician, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Fortes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to secure in an upright piano the fulltone of the concert grand piano; and it consists, essentially, in soarranging the strings forming the scale that those strings constitutingthe lower bass shall be long, and bring into action the largest possibleproportion of the sounding-board, while the higher bass and middle andtreble strings are arranged so as to bring no more soundingboard intoaction than is absolutely necessary to produce the required tone.

2o The drawing represents my improved scale, only a sufficient number ofthe strings being shown to indicate the particular' position of each setof strings forming the scale.

In the drawing, the strings running between These strings are held bytuning-pins in the ordinary way, and rest upon a bridge, O, supported bythe sounding-board D. This bridge C is sufficiently deep to support thestrings of 3o the lower bass high enough to permit the higherbass-strings and middle note strings to pass below` them and vibratefreely without contact. The higher bass-strings extend from E to F, andpass over a bridge, G, resting on 3,5 the sounding-board D sufficientlydeep to support the strings E F, high enough to permit the strings ofthe middle notes to pass below them, and yet not sufficiently high tocome in contact with the strings of the lower 4o bass, space being leftbetween the three sets of strings to allow the free independentvibration of each set. The middle note and treble-note strings extendfrom H to I. These strings pass below both the lower bass and higherbass strings, and are secured in the ordinary way, but rest upon abridge, J, which rests upon and is supported by the soundingboard D.

In upright pianos as now constructed the lower bass-strings extendsubstantially in the 5o same direction as shown in the drawing, but thehigher bass and middle note strings all extend in the same direction,which is substantially the same as that of the strings marked H I.

If the strings ofthe higher bass were made as long as those shown in thedrawing when set at the angle that they are now usuallysetthat is tosay, substantially parallel with the middle notes-then there would betoo much 6o sounding-board brought into action for the satisfactory andharmonious action ofthe middle and treble notes, and the quality of thetone would be entirely different from that produced by the arrangementof my improved scale. By arranging the strings forming the lower bass sothat they extend from the extreme angles, as it were, of the iron frame,I am enabled to bring into action the largest possible surface of thesoumling-board, thus 7o obtaining the desired full tone of the bassnotes; and, further, by extending the higherbass and tenor strings inthe direction indicated, I ani enabled to obtain all the soundingboardthat is required; and, also, by arranging the middle note and treblestrings in the direction indicated I am still able to obtain as longstrings as desirable, and to bring as much sounding-board into action asrequired, and at the same time am enabled to damp off 5o or dispensewith a large portion of the sounding-board, (indicated bythelettersa,l), and 0,) which would utterly destroy the effect of the scale were itpermitted to remain, and which portion of thc sounding-board Iwould notbe able to dispense with were it not from the fact that I have arrangedmy scale in the manner indicated.

I am aware that three sets of strings have been arranged in diiferentdirections, running 9o in different planes, and such, therefore, is notbroadly claimed herein.

hVhat I claim as my invention is- A piano forte scale having lowerbassstrings A B supported on bridge O at a sufiicient height to have thehigher bass and middle note strings pass below them and vibrate withoutcontact, the higher bass-strings E F supported on bridge C ab n, height;sufeienb off and damped at a c, all combined and opto allow themiddle-note strings to pass below erating as and for the 'purposes setforth. without Contact, and the middle note and Toronto. March 27, 1885.

treble strings I-I I supported on a bridge, J, FREDERIC ANTON RUDOLlllGNTHER. 5 as shown, the several sets of strings passing In the presenceofupon different planes in different directions, J. M. JACKSON,

as shown, whereby the sound-board D is out; I. E. MAYBEE.

